Guinea pig lice?

Hi all,I hope someone can help me. I have 4 boars, 3 of which we got at the same time and the latest addition, Sam. We got Sam from a pet shop around 4 months ago, he's always been very quiet, we presumed because he was the newest member to the herd. I have them homed in 2 C&C cages in pairs because they tend to fight when all together.Yesterday I noticed Sam has little scab on his skin, thought he may have been fighting with his cage mate, but upon closer inspection I can see he is crawling with tiny little white/cream coloured bugs, loads of them! I've never seen them before because his fur is lighter at the roots than at the tips. Poor lad His cage mate appears to have a few, but nowhere near the amount that Sam has.I live in France, so may not be able to get any products you can recommend to me to shift these lice. I want to avoid the vet if I can because they seem completely clueless about guinea pig care, they're well up on info on cows, pigs, cats and dogs, just not "exotic" pets :/Can anyone tell me anything I can buy to get rid of these critters?Thanks

Hi there, to my knowledge, guineas do not usually get lice ( Consulted with vet nurse about this, but am open to being proved wrong!) and it sounds more like an infestation of mites, which they are prone to. You will need to get specialist treatment and others on here will advise what and in what doses, try one of the guinea websites or forums. None of mine ever had mites, so not sure of the best course of action other than it does need treating and all your guineas will need to be treated, plus lots of cage cleaning, clean bedding etc. Lots of folk on here will advise more specifically, so hang on until they get here!

Hi- I read that GPs can't get fleas .They can get lice (static and running) but according to the Gorgeous Guinea website static lice are mites And running lice look like tiny worms.

Static/Running Lice feed on dead skin so anything that acts through the skin (like Ivermectin either injected, orally or topically applied drops) don't act on them.

More common with pigs is Mange Mites.Is it on his back near his rump end?It can cause the hair to snap off and they can get a V shaped bald patch on their back.

Mites- you need Ivermectin- you can get it online (I use Xeno 450 but it's not favoured by alot of vets/animal keepers due to the risk of reaction). You have to weigh it up I suppose. I've used it for a year or so. The only thing I need to make sure is with two hogs that they don't groom each other and ingest it . (mine only exchange a dirty look. I don't think they'd indulge in mutual grooming)

Gorgeous Guinea sell Lice'n'Easy shampoo online.

But if you treat with drops, leave it a while before you wash them. (Once it's dry and absorbed, it's done it's job.You need to make sure you don't 'overload' them with treatment)

I'd go for treat with the mites treatment first. Then if it's not improved, try a lice shampoo. And yes, treat them all, otherwise you might find it going from one to another. Scrub your cage, I use a steamer on mine, no residue to worry about.And you'll need a follow-up treatment dependin on what you use. If you get something from a vet, they'll advice.The Xeno 450 is 2 weeks and 4 weeks.Monthly for a prevention. (It also protects against worms, and my boys go out on the lawn, so Bonus!)Good Luck.

They're like tiny worms and moving about all over him Mites are, from what I've read, microscopic and not easily seen by the naked eye.I've ordered some Lice 'n' Easy from the GG website, I just hope it arrives quickly!Thanks for the advice

Whoops 70 - you are quite correct, it is FLEAS they can't get, not lice, I am sorry Pheonix, giving you false information. Great advice on the treatment here, so hope you can get the stuff he needs. Poor little chap with these things on him, probably best to keep him separate, wonder if guinea conditioner would help after he has had his treatment.